…It all begins… again! Thursday 6May10, 10:30a.m GVA time.

…It all begins… again! Thursday 6May10, 10:30a.m GVA time. (Where am I now: Seat 19F, Flight CO018 GVA-NY. What am I listening to: “Empire State of mind”, Alicia Keys – what else!?)

Yep. I am back. Exhausted and beaten up by the most intense tour of Portuguese airports (3 days, 3 airports around Portugal, 6 flights, avg. 5hrs sleep.day and working yesterday until well after midnight) I have now put all ‘that’ behind me and am now comfortably chilling out on the first Continental flight of my mini KostasAroundTheUS.

Some things just don’t change: I had to pack a bag yesterday and simply went again for that magic backpack – yes clothes get creased, you need to carry it on your back but who cares at the end? No, it is not stylish and people still look at the mid thirties guy (man, that’s me…) carrying it around– but again who cares? The excitement is the same, the smile on my face as big as always, the sense of freedom unparalleled and although you would say I’ve done more than enough flying with work the past 2 months (I think about 15 flights) this is special, as always, special, special, special. It’s not the destination that awaits me that makes it so different, although San Francisco, at the end of this long day is truly ‘unfinished business’: the last destination of the sabbatical I took 2 years ago… It’s the idea of just being away from it all, and thrown in again right in the middle of something new and different. Can a psychiatrist please tell me if there’s a name for this condition?

Some things have changed. There’s more grey hair under my old, worn-out Aussie hat that is also joining me in this trip to the New World. My hiking pants are a bit tight around the waist (…) and it did take me a bit longer to pack and load – something I used to do with no second thought on the last trip. Even my laptop’s ever-lasting 6hr battery has been reduced to 3 hours – that’s what you get for not using it on long trips and keeping it at home…

What is also different is that I am not alone this time. So apologies if the blog posts are irregular, short or simply just filled with photos but having company takes time out, especially if company is one of your close buddies from high-school. ArisA is with me doing his first trip to the US – it’s going to be so much fun. We are already missing GeorgeT, the third part of this wonderful equation that has outlasted many governments, fashion or music trends the past 20 years… but that’s what you get for deciding to get married. Obligations and priorities. We still hope to see him, unexpectedly, near the end of next week , sitting at the black-jack table besides us in Vegas, a martini in hand, just so we can remind him how a couple of good friends can cause a really good ‘Hangover’ but I guess it wont happen.

So much more to write – so many things running through my head but they will just have to wait…
Time for a break – I need the battery to post in NY and there’s still a long way to go.
Welcome onboard, the latest edition of KostasAroundTheWorld is about to take off…Thank you for joining us on another trip, please fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride – we are looking forward to your posts & comments.


Big Bird to NYC :-)


Do you call this a muffin?!

Aris preparing for phase 3 (Vegas)